Chapter 157

This room was one I definitely remembered from the game. This was the Scavs rec room, the place they hung out. It also had crates of weapons and other supplies so they were ready for us here.

 

The lights from Ping gave us numbers, and locations so I didn’t have to call it out.

 

Six guys.

 

*Going to frag again. Rebecca you too.* I called as I found a position to post up before. Running into the room. Rebecca and I both stood next to one of the metal security blinds, and once she was ready with Jun and Malcolm both holding the entrance. I hacked the blinds and forced them open.

 

We both tossed. I made sure to toss my grenade in a different direction from Rebecca towards a different group of people.

 

Our synergy wasn’t great. I hadn’t thought to have us call out which group to target.

 

Despite my skill this was a new experience for me, just like it was for most of Section 9. We would have to do some team training soon.

 

The side thoughts were blown away with the explosions of two grenades, and the screams of agony from dying gonks.

 

Jun and Malcolm both charged. Malcolm I noticed as I turned to follow was hugging directly behind Jun. Using him as cover and rapid firing into groups that Jun wasn’t focused on.

 

Good work!

 

Rebecca and I came around a second later, and her smile was already stretching across her face as she let loose.

 

The Ajax roared and she caught two in a spray of bullets that weren’t fast enough to hide behind some crates in the middle of the room they were using as cover.

 

It wouldn’t work against me either.

 

I leapt straight up, my head nearly touching the ceiling as I raised my copperhead and just fired into them from above. More Scavs were killed, and I think our assault finally started breaking any hope the scavs had of winning. They started running, not many of them got far.

 

Not with everyone shooting into their fleeing backs.

 

Rebecca had climbed up on top of a crate and was laughing hysterically as she went full auto down the tunnel the Scavs were trying to flee down.

 

I just chased after them while firing. The copperhead tight to my shoulder as I raced forward firing at the fleeing gonks.

 

One dropped, I took a second to lower the barrel and confirm the kill by blowing out the back of his head. Then moved on. I could hear Rebecca struggling down from the crate behind me as Jun continued to beat a poor Scav into a pulp.

 

Even without looking I knew he was already dead.

 

*Jun focus up!*

 

But that was all the attention I was willing to give.

 

I turned the corner down the hall, and some of the scavs had been smart enough to turn to try and shoot me.

 

I juked and my Copperhead jerked in my grip as the silent rounds started tearing out of the barrel.

 

I felt a round wing me, and then another got me in the chest, but I was wearing armor.

 

They weren’t.

 

A second later the hallway was clear. None of them had escaped.

 

“Motoko!”

*Jun. Comms you gonk!* I yelled at him over the call and he slowed to a stop and seemed to regain some of his humanity as he saw me perfectly fine and glaring at him… Oh wait I was wearing the tech gogs with my helmet. He couldn’t see me glaring.

 

*Right… Right. You okay?*

*I’m fine. Check! Any injuries?*

 

*Nope I’m fine.*

*Didn’t get touched.* Malcolm and Rebecca both confirmed and then I looked at my gonk brother.

 

*Do I need to pull you out?*

 

*It’s just some scratches.* He denied.

 

Yeah the bullet hole in his arm was not a scratch.

 

But I noticed the old Kang Tao armor had actually caught a few rounds for him. Even if he had done everything he could to show off his plastic abs.

 

I rolled my eyes and tossed him a roll of bandages.

*Cover those.*

 

*I’m fine.* He tried to argue and I just cut him off.

 

*Do it or leave.*

 

He grumbled and after a minute did as he was told.

 

*Everyone gather back up. Let’s finish clearing this place. We aren’t done.*

 

*Awesome!* Rebecca cheered out as she ran down the hall. I quirked an eyebrow.

 

She now had a Saratoga strapped to her back.

 

*What?*

 

*Nothing.* I said, chuckling quietly as I focused up. We weren’t done.

 

——

 

Ichinose

 

The stairs had not been easy to maneuver down, but he had done it. The Minotaur was staring into the doors of the elevator just waiting for someone to be stupid enough to come up.

 

*Anything up there Hiromi?*

*Nope, still clear.* She said and he relaxed a little. Controlling the Minotaur was an interesting experience. Despite the fact he was still just sitting in the driver’s seat of his van it felt like he was actually far away.

 

Hiromi watching over him at least made this doable. He didn’t want to imagine what it would be like to get killed because he was focused on the Minotaur, but then again what kind of idiot would lose complete track of his surroundings without someone watching over them in a dangerous area?

This book’s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

 

The elevator shifted. He could ‘hear’ it through the Minotaurs pickups.

 

*Someone is using the elevator.* He called out both in the channel between Hiromi and him, and to Motoko’s squad.

 

God thinking about it in terms like that still caught him off guard. This whole thing. This wasn’t some group of gonk kids fucking around. This was a corp level op.

 

They were badasses.

 

*Not one of us. If anyone is in there, take them out.* Motoko answered back cooly, not a hint of the strain of being in combat in her voice.

 

Once again Ichi just had to shake his head. Motoko Kusanagi was an enigma, she had come back so different from the coma, and that had only grown with the time since. It was almost hard to remember what she used to be like.

 

But it was her almost clinical detachment when dealing with violence that still made him nervous.

 

Motoko the gonk that didn’t like alcohol, and would happily get into arguments about the best character in a movie with Malcolm. Would in a second transform into a killer. He had never understood the idea of a ‘cold blooded killer’ before. Every murder he had ever seen had been passionate acting out, or just gang stuff which was usually full of shouting and yelling.

 

Although he knew Jotaro had been the same, but seeing that look on Motoko’s face as she talked about murdering her enemies always made Ichi… Not nervous. He wasn’t afraid of her, but he was… Wary of her.

 

He watched the elevator doors open, and five scavs stepped out. These were the leaders. The netrunner among them told Ichi that. The fact they were escaping was rather telling as well.

 

He felt his HMG’s activate. The targeting software easily pinging all five.

 

“FUCK!” The Netrunner managed to scream as the group realized what it was that was standing in the shadows in front of them.

 

Then Ichi fired.

 

Yeah. This was the fun part.

 

They tried. One scav must have some training, he raised a Metel the clunky Techtronika revolver fired twice before he had so many holes in him that the pistol fell from his grip.